LEGACY OF A PATRIOT
The High Price of Freedom
A Veteran — America’s citizen heroes and heroines, united by a common purpose – serving their country in military service, and united by common values – Duty, Honor, Economy, Courage, and above all, Responsibility for Oneself. Each veteran, at some point in life, has written a blank check payable to “The United States of America,” for an amount up to and including their life.
The underlying principle of Legacy of Patriots is to continually commend and encourage this nature of service, by featuring a newly nominated veteran each month. That Veteran then joins our exclusive institution, Legacy of Patriots, where their story will be honorably commemorated and celebrated for decades to come!
Chief, United States Navy SEAL
(April 8, 1974 – February 2, 2013)
Chris Scott Kyle was born to parents, Wayne and Deby Kyle. He has a younger brother, Jeff who is a Marine Corps Veteran – serving from 2000 to 2008. Chris met his wife Taya in his first year of service (1999), they were married in 2002, and later had two children. Before entering the Navy, he attended Tarleton State in Stephenville, Texas where he rode bucking horses and worked ranches in the local area. A debilitating arm injury from rodeo competition almost cut his hopes of becoming a Navy SEAL, but in true Kyle fashion, he persevered and graduated BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition / SEAL) with Class 233 in March 2001.
From 1999 to 2009, U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle recorded the most sniper kills in United States military history. Iraqi insurgents feared Kyle so much, that they named him al-Shaitan (“the devil”} and placed a bounty on his head. Kyle earned legendary status among his fellow Teammates, Marines, and other military soldiers and airmen, whom he protected with deadly accuracy from rooftops and stealth positions.
Chief Kyle served four combat tours in Operation Iraqi Freedom and other clandestine operations for the United States Navy and Marines. For his unrelenting bravery in battle, he was awarded two Silver Stars, five Bronze Stars with Valor, two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, as well as one Navy and Marine Corps Commendation. The Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs awarded him with the Grateful Nation Award. He was shot twice, survived multiple helicopter crashes, and was involved in six IED attacks.
Following his combat deployments, he became Chief Instructor for training Naval Special Warfare Sniper and Counter Sniper teams. In addition, Kyle authored the Naval Special Warfare Doctrine, the first Navy SEAL sniper manual, and devoted much of his spare time to helping disabled Veterans.
Gripping and unforgettable, Chris’ masterful account of his incredible battlefield experiences in the New York Times bestselling book “American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. History” ranks as one of the greatest war memoirs of all time.
Before his untimely passing in 2013, Chris was a devoted son, brother, husband, and father in North Texas, continuing his efforts to help Veterans re-acclimate to civilian life and combat stress carried home.
As our first inductee into the Legacy of Patriots, Honor Cafe will be serving some of Chief Kyle’s favorite foods including pork ribs, good steak tri-tip, and buttermilk pie at our steamer table during the lunch hour. Absolutely none of the steamer table dishes will include olives as Chief Kyle did not like them. At this time, we’ll also allow customers to write short appreciation notes to their families. Last but most certainly not least, Honor Cafe will honorably welcome Chris’ family to our grand opening event.